The postseason, fair or unfair, is calcifying for star players. The playoffs are when reputations, both good and bad, are earned. A big game or even a big shot in the right moment can cement a legend forever. Put up enough duds in high-leverage moments and it could take years to repair how you’re viewed by the general public. As Draymond Green told Warriors GM Bob Myers, there are 82-game players and then there are 16-game players.
And right now, Julius Randle is looking like an 82-game player.
In his second career postseason run, Randle has more or less picked up where he left off his first one, which is to say his numbers have dropped and he’s been incredibly inefficient. Outside of a couple high-ish volume 20-point efforts, Randle has been underwhelming so far for the Knicks, who face a 2–1 deficit in their second-round series against the Heat. In Game 3 in Miami, Randle scored a paltry 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting, missing all five of his three-point attempts for good measure.
